Ram Mandir donation row deepens: 8 arrested, ₹80 lakh seized, trust members quit

ALlegations of irregularities in the accumulation of donations to the ram down Temple snowballed into a john r. Major disceptation on fri after the arrest of eight men connected to the temple management, the recovery of nearly ₹80 lakh from their homes and the resignation of two prominent members of the temple trust.The dramatic developments came a day after the Uttar Pradesh Police lodged a first information report (FIR) on a complaint by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in connection with the allegations, naming an aide of the trust’s general secretary Champat Rai and seven others.Rai and prominent trust member Anil Mishra resigned on Friday, said people aware of the matter. There was no official confirmation of the resignations at the time of going to print. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad said it has no knowledge of its vice president Champat Rai’s resignation. Neither Rai nor Nripendra Misra, chairman of the Ram temple construction committee, was available for comment.According to one of the persons aware of the details, Rai wrote to trust chairman Mahant Nritya Gopal Das and said he was stepping down to “ensure a free and fair probe” and to “protect the sanctity” of Lord Ram, while denying any wrongdoing and assuming “moral responsibility”The resignations followed chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s announcement that action had begun after the submission of a Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) preliminary report on the alleged irregularities.Adityanath attacked the Opposition, saying action was initiated immediately after the SIT submitted its report. “I had stated that action would be taken once the SIT report arrived. The report is in, and action has commenced. During my visit to Ayodhya on June 19, I said the truth would come out. The government will not tolerate messing with the faith,” he said at a public meeting in Deoria.The developments came a day after the FIR named Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu, a close aide of Rai, along with Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Subhash Srivastava, Ramashankar Mishra, Manish Yadav and Karunesh Pandey. Anukalp Mishra and Lavkush Mishra are related to each other, and also to Anil Mishra, said another person. Ram Shankar Yadav and Manish Yadav are related, they added.The case was registered against eight named accused and other unidentified people under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 306, 316(5), 317(4), 317(5), 61 and 3(5), relating to offences such as criminal breach of trust, cheating, theft and criminal conspiracy, along with Section 13(1)(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.The SIT recommended the FIR on the basis of oral evidence, financial documents as well as electronic evidence, said officials aware of the developments.Ayodhya prosecution officer KC Verma said all eight accused were produced before the anti-corruption court, which remanded them to judicial custody till Monday. Verma said police recovered a total of ₹79,85,893 in cash from seven of the accused. No cash recovery was made from Subhash Srivastava, he added.Police are now expected to move court, seeking custody remand of all eight accused to question them in detail about the alleged diversion of donations, identify the money trail, confront them with documentary and electronic evidence, and recover additional cash, valuables and other incriminating material believed to be linked to the alleged embezzlement.The controversy first surfaced on June 7 when Samajwadi Party leader Tej Narayan ‘Pawan’ Pandey alleged donations worth ₹5 crore to ₹7.5 crore were siphoned off from temple offerings.On June 13, the state government set up the SIT on the request of the temple trust. The panel, comprising Lucknow divisional commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, Lucknow Range inspector-general Kiran S and special secretary (finance) Neel Ratan, conducted a preliminary inquiry in Ayodhya between June 15 and 20. People familiar with the investigation said the SIT scrutinised the entire donation management chain, including collection boxes, cash counting, storage, accounting procedures, access control and CCTV surveillance. The preliminary inquiry flagged prima facie irregularities in the handling of cash and valuables offered by devotees.After the landmark 2019 Supreme Court verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute, the temple trust was set up by the Government of India to oversee the construction of the temple and was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2020, according to its website. Out of its 15 members, 12 were set up by the government and in its first meeting, another three members were picked, said the trust’s website.Indian devotees can donate to the trust in its bank accounts operated by branches of the State Bank of India, the Bank of Baroda and the Punjab National Bank – all situated in Ayodhya. Devotees abroad can donate to the State Bank of India branch in Delhi that manages foreign contributions.The trust received donations worth ₹82.78 crore between April 1, 2025, and February 28, 2026, according to the details furnished by the trust before its executive committee during a meeting in Ayodhya on March 21.Trust member Vishwaprasanna Tirtha Swamiji said such a “grave offence” should not have occurred, and if the allegations are found to be true, those responsible must face appropriate punishment. “Being a member of the trust I cannot comment on anything now based on what others have said. On July 11 there is a trust meeting, I’m going. After knowing what the matter is, I will place things before you,” said the pontiff of the Sri Pejavara Adhokshaja Math.Adityanth hit out at the Opposition.“Whoever tampers with the faith of the people will face the consequences. No one can be given such a free hand. I had said that Ayodhya is a symbol of the faith of all of us and of Sanatan Dharma. Do not cast an evil eye on Ayodhya. Learn to uphold the dignity of Lord Ram,” Adityanath said. “One party used to say that Ram never existed. They fought the case in courts and fielded a battery of lawyers. They were against the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and the construction of the temple,” he added.Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav demanded strict action. “Just imagine: if they’ve managed to steal so much in seven weeks, how much must they have pilfered over all these past years, how much must they have divided among themselves, how much must they have quietly hidden away or buried, and how much must they have funneled all the way up to their leader,” he posted on X.